


She-Ra: Legacy

by messofunfinishedthoughts



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Multi, Next Generation, Queen Glimmer (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messofunfinishedthoughts/pseuds/messofunfinishedthoughts
Summary: On the planet Etheria, the war against the brutal Horde has been long over for 20 years. But a new threat is rising again, one that needs a great ancient power to stop it, one that belongs to the new honorary Princess of Bright Moon.Honorary Princess Cora of Bright Moon, second born child of Catra and Adora, heir to She-Ra's legacy, has never known the brutality and chaos of a life lived in war. After all, her mothers have done everything they can to make sure that she and her older sibling Finn live trouble-free. So when a new army rises from the shadows, Cora and her friends will be at the Rebellion's front line, fighting to defend their parents' legacy. Along the way, each of our new heroes' gets to explore their own stories, and will perhaps follow in their parents' footsteps to mark a second generation of Etheria's heroes.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella/Micah (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. The Legacies of Bright Moon

The planet of Etheria. A calm, peaceful, beautiful planet, and well-known throughout the universe. The planet home to those who freed the universe from the great Evil of Horde Prime. The home of the Rebellion, heroes of the Universe, and Princess Adora- She-Ra, their saviour. 

It is morning time on Etheria, and sunlight shines over its biggest kingdom, Bright Moon. Sparkles of light blast through the castle gardens, flying through a couple of rose bushes.  
"Oops! Sorry mom!" A girl shouts, following the sparkles. Her silver arm-shawl floats in the light breeze, and her golden arm bracelet catches a shimmer of light. Long dark brown hair falls around her face. Like her grandmother, the previous Queen Angella of Bright Moon, she has a purple undertone to her hair, complete with inherited sparkles.  
A head of pink hair sticks up from the rose bushes. Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon, monarch of Etheria, and daughter of Queen Angella, is currently tending to her late mother's flower garden.  
"Serenia! Please be careful! This garden is important." Glimmer reprimands. The brunette girl, Serenia, walks over, moving her hand in a circular motion, casting a rune on the bushes. The roses begin to grow back, appearing with glitter on their petals. Glimmer smiles softly and stands up, ruffling her eldest daughter's hair.  
"Ugh, mom!" Serenia protests, flattening down her now ruffled hair.  
"You've been practicing, huh?" Glimmer asks.  
"Of course. Perfuma's Flower Magic class has been so good!" Serenia grins, whirling another rune into existence. A flower grows into her mother's hand. Princess Perfuma of Plumeria, co-ruler of the Scorpion Kingdom, decided after the war that she wanted to teach the magical youth of Etheria. Serenia and Princess Flora, Perfuma's own daughter, are her strongest students.  
"Ooo, pretty!" A little girl, no older than four approaches, her pink eyes shining. Like Serenia, she has sparkles in her hair.  
"Up!" She commands to Serenia. The older girl and her mother exchange an amused, loving look, before the brunette picks up the little girl.  
"Hey Allegna. What've you been up to today?" Serenia asks.  
"Well I was playing with Auntie Adora but then Auntie Catra came in and said that Finn and Cora will be back soon, so now me and Daddy are playing hide and seek whilst Auntie Adora waits for Finn and Cora. Can you cast a invisibility rune on me, Mama?" Allegna replies.  
"Too late." The girls turn to see King Bow of Bright Moon approaching them, a loving smile on his face, and a little boy with a similar appearance to Allegna's in his arms. "You might be fast Allegna, but I'm faster."  
"Not as fast as you used to be though." Glimmer quips, smirking.  
"Haha, very funny." Bow shakes his head, but kisses Glimmer's forehead nonetheless. Allegna scrunches her nose up.  
"Ew, gross." She says, teleporting out of Serenia's arms.  
"You know, if you can teleport, I don't see why I have to bend down to pick you up." Serenia smiles at her younger sister.  
"Because we love you big sister!" The little boy in Bow's arms replies, teleporting next to Allegna. It is clear now that they are twins. Serenia rolls her eyes.  
"Well why do you teleport when you have wings?" Allegna questions. Serenia freezes momentarily.  
"Teleporting is more fun!" She grins. "Anyway, enjoy kiddos. I’m off to magic lessons with Grandpa.” Serenia waves before disappearing in a wave of glitter. Despite the fact that King Bow, the father of the Princesses and Prince of Bright Moon, possesses no magical abilities, his children inherited more magical power than any other regent of Bright Moon has ever had, especially his firstborn, Serenia.  
“You should really start using your wings!” Glimmer calls to the disappearing sparkles.  
“Was that what I was like with my mom?” The current Queen asks her husband, smiling. Bow puts a supportive arm around his wife.  
“Yes, it was.” He admits. Glimmer laughs, before sighing.  
“So, Archer. Want to help mommy with Grandma’s garden?” Glimmer asks her youngest child, Prince Archer of Bright Moon, the younger of the Bright Moon twins. The little boy claps his hands together, and picks up a plant pot. Bow rubs his son’s hair affectionately, before he and his youngest daughter head towards the archery hut. 

Up above the gardens, the sunlight leaks into an open bedroom. The diamonds hanging from the ceiling hang catch in the light, glinting. The light refracts around the room, and onto a woman stood looking at her water fountain. Blond hair sweeps down her back, which is left bare until her lower back. The golden trim on her shoulders catches the light as she sighs. A pair of tan arms wrap around her waist, and a face nuzzles into her shoulder.  
“Hey Adora.” The blonde woman, Adora, smiles, and turns around.  
“Hey, Catra.” She responds, before walking away, running her hands through her hair.  
“You think they’ll be okay?” Adora asks. Catra chuckles.  
“They’ll be fine. Finn is 17 now. They can handle themselves.” Catra reassures her wife. Adora lets out a small, almost regretful, laugh.  
“It’s funny, isn’t it? When we were Finn’s age, we were nothing like them.”  
“You were an eight foot tall warrior lady with a sword, I was a war criminal. Sparkles was the Queen known for aggressive fist to face sparkles. Arrow Boy was just...well Arrow Boy.” Catra jokes. Adora lets out a real laugh this time.  
“Oh yeah, that reminds me. Glimmer asked if you can stop calling her Sparkles when we’re in the meetings with the Elders of Etheria.” The feline woman snorts in response.  
“Those guys hate me anyway.” She points out. “They don’t think I’ve changed. Which is pretty rude considering that, no offence or anything, I’m part of the reason that the planet is still in one piece.” Catra says, picking up a hair tie.  
"I know you are." Adora places a small kiss on her wife's cheek. There is a small knock at the door, and Adora practically flies towards it. She swings it open, to reveal the sight of two part-feline teenagers.  
"Hi, Mother." They smile. Adora sweeps the two teenagers into her grip, as Catra approaches from behind, joining the embrace.  
"We missed you so much! Are you both okay?" Adora fusses. The teenagers, Cora and Finn, exchange a knowing look, before being able to get out of the embrace.  
"We're fine, Moms." Finn speaks first. Clearly the eldest, Finn towers over Cora, their little sister, by a good two inches. They have blonde hair, and blue eyes, traits inherited by their Mother Adora, but also the features of a feline such as ears, fur, claws and a tail, inherited by their Mom Catra.  
"Yeah, it was so much fun!" Cora grins. Whilst she inherited the cat ears of her Mom Catra, Cora, the youngest child of Adora and Catra, is physically a lot more like her Mother Adora. Her eyes are a darker blue, but unlike Finn and Catra's, they are not feline. She does not possess any sharp teeth, nor a tail. In fact, Cora, is this generation's She-Ra.  
"Did you get the hang of the sword yet? It took me a while, so don't feel pressured, sweetie." Adora speaks. Finn and Cora decided that they wanted to get away from Bright Moon for two weeks, in order to focus on Cora's powers, and Finn's combat skills. Whilst neither of the children of the Catra and Adora have never known a life of war, they learnt from their Mother Adora and Mom Catra's story that sometimes, life is unpredictable.  
Cora smiles, and walks to the centre of the room. She inhales, and opens her eyes. Magic shines in them.  
"For the honour of...Grayskull!" She cries out, conjuring a sword. However, only the sword appears, and not the warrior herself. The girl is clearly disheartened by this. Adora puts an arm around her daughter, whilst Catra and Finn look on sympathetically.  
"Sweetie, it's okay." Adora speaks softly. Cora sighs, and sits on a pouffe.  
"Cora, your Mother lost She-Ra for a long time. It was only real danger that brought her back." Catra comforts, sitting beside her daughter.  
"Yeah, come on Cor." Finn speaks, before their mouth slips into a sly smile. "Hey, maybe you just need to find a partner, like Mother did."  
"Oh please, Finn." Cora scoffs. "It's not about love."  
"I disagree. Did I ever tell you about how I lost She-Ra?" Adora asks. Cora frowns.  
"No?" Cora replies. Adora and Catra allow themselves a small smile at each other.  
"You'll understand one day, Cora. I promise." Adora gently rubs her daughter's hair. The brunette teen sighs.

Later that night, when Cora and Finn are settled back into their rooms, Cora stands in front of her mirror, smoothing down a sleeveless knee-length dress with a high red collar- her Mother Adora's first Princess Prom dress. Tonight is the birthday celebration of the former King Micah of Bright Moon, and both Cora and Serenia's family's are attending a meal in Mystacor.  
The brunette smiles at the mirror, before inhaling deeply.  
"For the honour of Grayskull!" She calls out again. Not even the sword this time.  
The brunette opens her dark blue eyes, which now flicker with tears.  
"It's useless." She whispers. As Cora begins to cry, there is a knock on the door.  
"Come in!" Cora calls, wiping her tears away. The door swings open, revealing Serenia, who runs in. Her attire is different from earlier in the day: she now dons a sleeveless lilac dress with a golden choker, and a silver cape.  
"How was it? Did you and Finn learn anything new?" Serenia asks.  
"Yeah." Cora admits, taking a seat on her bed. "I learnt that I'm the world's worst She-Ra. I can't transform into her. Most of the time, I can't even conjure the dumb sword." Cora punches her wall in frustration.  
"Cora, it's okay. Your mother was the first person to ever conjure the sword. Maybe it's because you're not entirely first one?" Serenia suggests, taking a seat on Cora's desk chair.  
"If my DNA was a problem, my mother would still be She-Ra, not me. I'm 16 now!" Cora grits her teeth. "It shouldn't be this hard!"  
"Your mother found the sword when she was 17, remember? The fact that you can conjure it at 16 is incredible!" Serenia smiles. Cora sighs, for seemingly the hundredth time that day.  
"I just want to be like her, you know. I want to know how it feels to be She-Ra." Cora explains. Serenia walks over, and wraps an arm around Cora.  
"It'll be okay. In fact, why don't you come to training tomorrow? There'll be me, Finn, Flora, Aureole, Kai and Talia. Nova is even coming along to observe for one of her mom's experiments." Serenia explains, as Cora shivers.  
"What if Kai obliterates me with his powers again? My Mom was not pleased about that." Cora asks, vividly remembering her last training session with the other royal children of Etheria. Whilst having majority First One DNA, Cora inherited her Mom Catra's hatred of water. In the last training session with Sea Hawk and Mermista's son, Cora had ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time- as Cora had walked into the training room of the Salineas as Kai was practicing his water hurricane. As a result, Cora had been blasted out of the room. Catra, having had similar experiences, wasn't too pleased.  
"Talia assures me Kai's been having a lot of lessons with Princess Mermista, you'll be fine, Cora." Serenia smiles, hugging her best friend.  
"Thanks, Sere." Cora returns the embrace, as another knock is heard at the door.  
"Girls, are you ready?" A voice calls through the door. It's Queen Glimmer.  
"Yeah, we're coming Mom!" Serenia calls back. The Princess stands, followed by her part-feline friend. The girls walk to the door, and open it to see Glimmer in a sleeveless dark purple gown.  
"Wow, Mom, you look great!" Serenia smiles, hugging her mother, who holds her back.  
"Thank you, Serenia. You both look beautiful." Glimmer acknowledges. "Oh Cora. You look so much like your Mother right now. I remember picking out that dress for the first time at our first Princess Prom." Glimmer smiles, eyes glossing over with tears. Cora's own eyes tear up.  
"Thank you." She manages. Glimmer links the arms of both girls, before they teleport away to Mystacor.  



	2. Best Friend Squad 2.0!

"Do we have to?" Finn whines. Serenia has her arms folded, a pout on her lips.  
"It'll take forever to get there otherwise." Serenia whines back.  
"It's either this or a boat." Cora points out, knowing what Finn will choose. Predictably, her older sibling shivers.  
"Let's get this over with." They sigh. Serenia grins, and grabs both of her friends arms.  
"Let's go!" She cheers. The trio disappear in a shimmer of sparkles before reappearing outside Princess Mermista's palace in Salineas. Ever since the end of the war, the kingdom was completely rebuilt by the people of Salineas, former Horde soldiers, and even Catra and Hordak- Catra more willingly than Hordak.  
"Guys!" Flora, Scorpia and Perfuma's only child runs up to the group, smiling from ear to ear.  
"Flora, hey! Oh my stars, your dress is so cute!" Cora gushes. Flora blushes and smiles. She is wearing a pink knee length dress with a red belt. Red diamond earrings hang from her ears, a nod to her scorpion heritage.  
"Thank you! I love your outfit!" Cora dons her day-to-day clothes- a white sleeveless top with some maroon shorts.  
"Thanks. The shorts were my mom's back when she was just a bit older than me." Cora explains. Finn harrumphs.  
"You get Mom's old shorts and what do I get? Nothing. And I'm older!"  
"Your top literally belonged to Mother! Mom just...altered it." True, Finn's casual day to day clothes consist of a pair of black shorts and a loose white top- his and Cora's mother's old Horde uniform top without the neck and sleeves.  
"Anyway, if anything, that top should be mine since I'm the new She-Ra!" Cora retorts.  
"Then hand over the shorts, shorty." Finn fires back. Flora and Serenia exchange an amused glance- they are far too used to the banter between the siblings.  
"So, how's Cora's training going?" Flora asks Serenia. The first born Princess of Bright Moon frowns.  
"She's scared. And confused, and worried. She knows she can't be any of those things if she's going to become She-Ra. And that makes it even worse." Serenia admits, looking over at Cora, who is currently play-fighting with Finn on the floor.  
"How do you mean?" Flora inquires.  
"She can only conjure the sword. She's never been able to become She-Ra, save for the first time." Serenia explains. 

When Cora had discovered she was She-Ra, she was 15, and it was rather unexpected. She and Finn had been in the middle of their weekly spar in the gardens of the Castle of Bright Moon. She and her sibling used staffs to train, in a similar way to how their mothers had been taught. Finn managed to overpower Cora, making her lose her grasp on her staff. When Finn almost had their sister defeated, Cora's eyes started to shine blue. Finn had panicked, shouting for Serenia, who was spectating, to get their parents. Serenia had teleported away and appeared back within a matter of seconds, with a confused Adora and Catra. Without explanation, Serenia had pointed to Cora, who was now conjuring the sword wordlessly. Finn scrambled away, into the arms of their parents. Adora and Catra watched mouths hanging open as Cora transformed into She-Ra for the very first time. On her head was a crown similar to Queen Glimmer's, with two golden wings on the side. Her hair, to her parents' surprise, retained its natural brunette tone. Clothing-wise, Cora now donned a white dress, similar to her mother's first She-Ra form, except for the fact that the dress lacked the symbol of She-Ra. She also wore a long red cape. The dress was divided by a golden seam that split the bodice from collar to belt. On Cora's shoulders were two golden armour plates, otherwise known as pauldrons, that stood of their own accord. Similarly to her mother's first She-Ra form, Cora wore a white ruffled skirt with skin-tight white shorts. She also wore small white and golden ankle boots to complete the look.  
Cora, much like her mother had done twenty three years ago, had completely panicked after the transformation. The Sword of Protection was now in her hands, and that increased her panic.  
"Ah! Mother!" Cora panicked, running into the arms of her mother, dropping the sword on the floor. Adora soothed her daughter, stroking her hair.  
"Wh-What just happened to me?" Cora whimpered. Adora smiled down at her youngest child.  
"Sweetie..." The blonde woman exchanged a look with Catra, who nodded at her.  
"You're She-Ra. In fact, you've been She-Ra since you were born." Adora revealed. Cora had looked up at her parents, who regarded her levelly.  
"She-Ra? The She-Ra?" Cora had repeated, and Adora had nodded. Ever since that day, around four months ago, Cora had been trying desperately to reach She-Ra again. 

"But conjuring the sword is still good, right?" Flora asks. "We don't need her to be She-Ra."  
"My mom has always suspected that maybe Cora became She-Ra because a new threat was coming for Etheria. One we couldn't predict. And no matter how many years have passed, she has always believed that. She's never told anybody; not Dad, Aunt Adora, Aunt Catra. No one, except for me."  
"Why do you think she thinks that?" Flora pushes.  
"I don't know." Serenia shrugs.  
"Your Mom always struck me as the kind who was never worried by anything." Flora says. Serenia nods.  
"Me too. But can we blame her? Our parents spent their whole lives in a world of war. Worry was bound to be second nature."  
"She became Queen too early, as well." Flora adds. Serenia frowns.  
"You know, I was visiting my granddads at the Library the other day, and I found a book on grandma Angella's rule. It talked about my Mom, and my grandfather, and even Aunt Adora. But none of it mentioned how that portal came to be." Serenia ponders, picking up a pebble, and skimming it over some water, before sighing.  
"Mom never talks about it." The brunette continues. "Which I get, but-"  
"You want to know what happened. It's natural, Serenia." Flora comforts.  
"Have you ever tried asking her?" The princess of Plumeria and the Scorpion Kingdom asks. Serenia folds her arms, and raises a brow at Flora.  
"Of course I have. She just evades me. She does the same when I ask about Horde Prime too." Serenia pouts, tossing another pebble into the water. Flora shivers at the name. Forever wanting to raise their daughter in honesty, Perfuma and Scorpia had sat Flora down when she turned 15 and told her the story of how Scorpia had been chipped. Perfuma made sure to inform Flora that Scorpia had been chipped to save everyone else, whilst Scorpia assured Flora that she would do it again if it meant her mom was safe. Whilst Flora had rolled her eyes at her moms' romantic antics, a fear of Horde Prime had been created in her that day.  
"Maybe she's got PTSD?" Flora suggests. This piques Serenia's interest. The Princess of Bright Moon turns to face the part-scorpion Princess.  
"You think?" Serenia asks.  
"It makes sense. Think about it, really. She constantly avoids the topic of the portal, which makes sense because she lost her mother. She was forced to become Queen. Maybe she's just uncomfortable with discussing it with you because it's a traumatic memory. The same goes for Prime. Your mom was kidnapped by Prime, wasn't she?" Flora asks. Serenia nods, frowning sadly.  
"I never thought of it like that." She murmurs.  
"Hey, Sere, Flora!" Cora shouts over. The girls turn around to see Aureole and Talia stood next to Cora and Finn. Aureole is Spinnerella and Netossa's only child, whereas Talia is the eldest of three, much like Serenia.  
"Hey!" Flora runs down to her friends, whilst Serenia remains in place, sighing and letting the wind flow through her hair.  
"Hey, Sere." The Princess of Bright Moon turns to see Talia approaching her. The brunette's cheeks go pink. Talia is a lot like her mother in many ways. She has long dark blue hair that she wears loose, in direct contrast with her mother who always has her hair up in some kind of doe. She has tan skin, and dark chocolate brown eyes. She wears a dark aqua crop top, that crosses almost like bandages across her chest. She also wears a dark blue skirt, which has white butterfly sleeves which match a partial skirt hanging from her belt on her hips. She and Serenia wear similar golden sandals, except for the fact that Serenia's sandals have the crest of Bright Moon on both of the straps.  
"Hi, Talia." Serenia smiles. Talia smiles back." "You, my dear friend, have got something on your mind. I can tell." Talia says. Serenia nods.  
"Just my Mom."  
"Ohh, what did you do this time?" Talia nudges Serenia with a laugh. Serenia laughs back, reciprocating the nudge.  
"I will have you know, all is well in the Castle of Bright Moon. I'm just thinking a lot about the war." Serenia admits. Talia frowns.  
"You're still thinking about Queen Angella, aren't you?" Talia asks, wrapping an arm around her friend, and giving her a squeeze.  
"Yeah. It's the 21st anniversary of her sacrifice in a few weeks. And even though we threw a MASSIVE celebration for her last year, my Mom is still going to out together a huge event. I just want to know about what happened with the portal. Nobody ever talks about it." Serenia kicks a pebble.  
"Have you ever tried asking Adora? She stopped it after all." Talia suggests.  
"I tried once. But she said it wasn't exactly her story to tell. What does that mean?" Serenia asks, frustrated. "She says the same about Horde Prime. I just wish she would trust me. I'm 16 now, do you get what I mean?" Serenia implores. Talia smiles.  
"I get how you feel, but I can't quite relate." Talia admits. Ever since Talia and her brother Kai were little, their parents had always told them tales of their youth, with their dad always exaggerating tales. After hers and Kai's baby brother, Adrian, was born last year, she had helped her parents sooth him to sleep with daring tales. In fact, it was Sea Hawk and Mermista's tales that made Talia so adventurous. She wanted to experience amazing things so that she could one day tell her own children.  
"Hey Serenia, Talia, are you guys coming? Nova's just arrived!" Aureole calls over. Serenia smiles back at Spinnerella and Netossa's daughter before teleporting herself and Talia over. Nova steps off of her father's ship, waving at her friends.  
"Remember what we talked about Nova! You should be careful with your armour-" Hordak is shouting down to Nova.  
"Daddd." Nova whines. "I'll be fine. And besides, if my armour does get damaged, Mom can always fix it. I promise, I'll be okay." Nova reassures her father. Hordak sighs, before waving goodbye to his only child. Nova sighs, turning to her friends.  
"I brought tiny cupcakes!" She announces. With that, the new Princess Alliance is gathered around Princess Nova of Dryl.  



	3. To Encourage and To Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while aha. i may have got distracted by other works (which you can check out if you want) but, finally, here's an update!

As the anniversary of Queen Angella's sacrifice looms closer, Serenia grows more and more curious about the events of the war. How did the portal come to be? How did Prime find Etheria? Why was her mom so sceptical to talk about the war? It kept her up at night, plagued her during the day, distracted her during her magic lessons. It was getting annoying. There were thousands of books at The Library, but it would take Serenia ages to find the ones she needed in order to get the answers she so desperately sought. The good thing about being the daughter of Queen Glimmer was that Serenia knew every trick on how to sneak out of the castle. The bad thing about being Glimmer's daughter, however, was that Glimmer knew all the tricks. So when Serenia had originally planned to sneak out to The Library after dark, Finn and Cora had quickly shut down her plan.  
  
"Your grandads would clearly find you." Finn points out, folding their arms. "Besides, your mom would easily catch you before you even left the castle."  
"What do you think your mom will even say?" Cora asks.  
"I don't know." Serenia sighs. "But I'm 17 now, Cor. I just want to know what happened during the war. What is she so afraid of?"  
"I really think she has good reason, you know." Cora points out, wringing her hands nervously.  
"Really think about it, Sere. If even my moms are sceptical about it, maybe you shouldn't-" Cora tries to explain, but Serenia cuts her off.  
"Or maybe they're hiding something. Come on, Cora! You know something's wrong!" The Princess of Bright Moon argues.  
"No, I don't!" Cora shouts back. Serenia takes a step backwards.  
"Sere, you are one of my closest friends and I love you, but your mom clearly has her reasons. And you know what? You're not the only one with parents who have a past. Have you ever thought how hard the topic of the war is for me or Finn? Our moms were enemies for _years_ , Serenia. Your mom was always on the Rebellion's side. My mom wasn't." Cora is huffing, impatient and angry.  
"But-"  
"Enough! Stars above, Sere, sometimes you can be so selfish." Cora sighs. "I have training practice with Mother. I'll catch you guys afterwards." Cora leaves the room in a huff. Serenia turns to Finn, who is watching the door.  
  
"Finn-" Serenia starts.  
"Look, Sere." Finn sighs. "Your intentions are good, but I think you're doing the wrong thing. You're going about it wrong."  
"What do you mean?" Serenia asks, taking a seat next to her best friend.  
"We need to speak to our parents. Both of us. If we both approach them, maybe they'll give in." Finn suggests.  
"And even if not, they'll tell you eventually, when they're ready." The blonde says, putting a comforting hand on Serenia's shoulder.  
"Just like Cora, I love you, Sere. We've been best friends since we were kids. This means a lot to you. Besides, maybe if I help you get your answers, you'll stop banging on about it." Finn laughs. Serenia awkwardly scratches her head.  
"Have I really been that bad?" She asks.  
"Put simply?" Finn asks, putting their hands together in a prayer-like stance, and putting them forward. "Yes."  
"Sorry." Serenia says.  
  
"There's stuff I still wonder about with my parents too, don't worry." Finn says. Serenia sighs, putting her head in her hands.  
"What Cora said, about your moms and the war. Does that ever bother you?" She asks. Finn sighs, as they fidget with their neck bandana.  
"Sometimes. But I think that was fate's way of working. I really believe that if not for the war, me and Cora wouldn't be here. Imagine if they'd both stayed with the Horde. They wouldn't even understand the concept of having a family. All they knew was having each other."  
"But you still think they'd love each other?" Serenia asks.  
"Of course. The one thing I know about my moms is that no matter how far the war tore them apart, their hearts were always tethered. It's like that idea of the red string of fate. They were always going to end up together. The way they talk about their teenage years, before they were separated, I believe that they were in a relationship, but they didn't know how to describe their feelings." Finn explains.  
"Wow." Serenia murmurs.  
  
"You know, every time I go to the space summits with them, I feel famous." Finn says, folding their legs together, getting comfy. Serenia pulls Kowl, an owl her grandfather Micah had crafted for her mom, closer to her, getting similarly comfortable.  
"I'll walk through the corridors, and everyone will be like 'do you know who that is? that's Finn, they're the first child of Catra and Adora of Etheria.' And people will respond with 'Oh my stars, yeah! They're the perfect mix of them!' It's cool I guess. Everyone's always reminding me out there, 'your moms are Catra and Adora of Etheria.', 'your mom is She-Ra.' and I don't wanna sound rude, but clearly I know all of this, them telling me seems futile. My moms are known all over the universe, but sometimes I wish they weren't." Finn confesses.  
"I get that sometimes. People in the coalition recognise me too. Did you know someone once speculated I wasn't my dad's daughter?" Serenia asks. Finn looks at their friend, raising a surprised brow.  
"No way." They say.  
"Yeah. They say that my looks aren't representative of both of my parents. They think my hair should be darker, thicker, my skin should be darker." Serenia explains, her gaze focused on the distance.  
  
She knew she'd never really resembled her father physically. Serenia was a lot more alike to her mother, with their matched skin tone, sparkling purple undertone to their hair, shorter stature and button nose. The only physical trait that Serenia shared with her father was their broad shoulders, but personality-wise, Serenia was indeed her father's daughter. From a young age, she had combined archery (something she had expressed a love for at the young age of one) with her magical abilities (which she began to control at age four). By age eight, she had effectively mastered the combination, a skill which only increased as the years went on. Serenia was Glimmer and Bow's pride and joy, an admirable and worthy heir to the throne. Serenia loved her parents deeply, and she'd always been close with her father. Hearing people speculate that she wasn't his daughter just because of something so trivial as her skin tone...it kind of hurt, to be honest.  
  
Serenia had learned, as she grew up, that she reminded everyone of Queen Angella. In fact, her grandfathers often liked to speculate that perhaps Serenia's paler skin was perhaps because she had inherited much of Angella's DNA through Glimmer. It made a lot of sense. Serenia was the double of Angella, with her long dual toned hair, determined expression, and especially her eyes. Micah had cried upon seeing Serenia for the first time. Her eyes were the same as Angella's. Even Adora had burst into tears. When Serenia had gotten her wings, everyone had been pleasantly surprised. It didn't make sense, to Serenia, for her to have wings and be able to teleport, but she supposed having both would be useful. Unlike Angella, Serenia was able to summon her wings when she pleased. Like her mother, Glimmer, Serenia possesses two wing shaped tattoos on her upper back, a shade of lilac purple. These tattoos become her full wings when she uses them. Which she barely did...  
  
"I'm pretty sure they only care because our parents saved the universe." Finn sighs, rolling their eyes.  
"It's so stupid. I can bet their planets are nowhere near as magical as Etheria." Serenia adds, summoning some sparkles to hand, before closing her palm sadly.  
"I just wish we could create a legacy as cool as theirs." She sighs.  
"They lived through war, Sere. Not exactly goals." Finn jokes.  
"You know what I mean. Your mother is She-Ra. Or at least she was before Cora took over. My mom is the most powerful Queen that Bright Moon has had. They have legacies for us to live up to." Serenia explains.  
"Sere, everyone knows that you are the most powerful person to grace the Royal Family of Bright Moon. Like, ever. You have a legacy." Finn points out. Serenia gazes at them, stuck in consideration.  
  
True, she was extremely powerful. It seemed ironic really, since her father possessed no magical abilities. Serenia prided herself on her magic, on how she was a magical angelic being, the heir to a throne that 20 years ago almost never had another heir. As well as using elemental magic provided by her runestone, Serenia could wield different types of magic, like plant magic, sorcery, illusions, and she could even conjure objects from out of nowhere. She was a skilled archer, a fast runner, a proficient opponent in battle. Yet, her destiny, her legacy, had always been something she had never been sure of.  
  
"I guess you're right." Serenia admits. Finn scoffs.  
"I'm always right." They say, before standing.  
"I know you're stressed about your mom and the war and Queen Angella, but believe me, Sere, the answers will still be there to be found for the rest of your life. Please, just for now, leave it be." Finn pleads, holding their gaze on Serenia. The princess sighs, crumbling. There's no point in fighting. She is exhausted. It's been quite a few weeks since she slept properly. It would probably do her good to rest.  
"Okay." Serenia smiles, a wave of tiredness washing over her. She holds back a yawn, as Finn smiles.  
"Get some rest. I'll go sort things with Cora." Finn says.  
"Her problem is with me though." Serenia starts to protest, but Finn holds their hand up.  
"She's my sister. If anyone can talk her down, it's me. She could probably use some cooling off before you guys talk." Finn explains.  
"Now sleep." Finn presses Serenia's shoulders, forcing her to stay seated, before turning to leave.  
  
Serenia doesn't argue. Her eyelids are drooping, and there's even the start of a headache. She flops down on her bed, pulling Kowl closer still, staring up at the ceiling. Crescent moons and sun patterns decorate the ceiling, painted there either by Serenia herself, or Flora, who had a skill for painting. By the stars, Serenia could feel the exhaustion pulling at her in all directions. She shuts her eyes, finally relaxing, finally allowing herself to stop questioning the past, if only for a moment. Finn was right. Her parents would tell her what happened in the war one day. Maybe that day wouldn't be today, tomorrow, next week, or next month. Sometimes, all you needed was a friend who would encourage and love you to make you see the way things were. Serenia had always been curious and impatient, but Finn was right. She'd worn herself out. The mystery of Queen Angella would have to wait a bit longer. That is the last thought the pink-eyed girl has, before drifting into a deep and dreamless sleep.


End file.
